invention

American  

[in-ven-shuhn] / ɪnˈvɛn ʃən /

noun

• inventions
  plural

1. the act of inventing.

2. U.S. Patent Law. a new, useful process, machine, improvement, etc., that did not exist previously and that is recognized as the product of some unique intuition or genius, as distinguished from ordinary mechanical skill or craftsmanship.

3. anything invented or devised.

4. the power or faculty of inventing, devising, or originating.

5. an act or instance of creating or producing by exercise of the imagination, especially in art, music, etc.

6. something fabricated, as a false statement.

7. Sociology. the creation of a new culture trait, pattern, etc.

8. Music. a short piece, contrapuntal in nature, generally based on one subject.

9. Rhetoric. (traditionally) one of the five steps in speech preparation, the process of choosing ideas appropriate to the subject, audience, and occasion.

10. Archaic. the act of finding.

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invention British  

/ ɪnˈvɛnʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of inventing

2. something that is invented

3. patent law the discovery or production of some new or improved process or machine that is both useful and is not obvious to persons skilled in the particular field

4. creative power or ability; inventive skill

5. euphemistic a fabrication; lie

6. (in traditional rhetoric) one of the five steps in preparing a speech or discourse: the process of finding suitable topics on which to talk or write

7. music a short piece consisting of two or three parts usually in imitative counterpoint

8. sociol the creation of a new cultural pattern or trait

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preinvention
  noun
• self-invention
  noun
• inventional
  adjective
• inventionless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• inventions
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of invention

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English invencio(u)n, from Latin inventiōn-, stem of inventiō “discovery, finding out”; equivalent to invent + -ion

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Explanation

If you create a new device or process, it's called an invention. Many futuristic inventions from science fiction have come true, though no one has successfully invented a time machine. The act of inventing something is also referred to as invention. Your invention of an amazing new cookie might make you the hit of the bake sale. Something imagined or created in your mind can also be called an invention. The story of what happened to your homework may have been a complete invention, but it was probably entertaining for your teacher — especially the part about the alien abduction.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

invention inventions

The same competitive pressures that drive the accumulation of computing power will also encourage the invention of ways to circumvent, erode or evade vague or complex rules.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

As far as The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson was concerned, “Rubber Soul” marked the invention of the album as a long-playing musical format.

From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026

Ford is hoping that a pivot towards military vehicles can help fill the void created by what the company's UK boss calls the most challenging environment since the invention of the motor car.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

Sadly, I’ve been making these sorts of predictions long before the invention of clicks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026

“That,” he said, “is our most important invention, the key to the whole Plan. We made a pilot model last fall. We tried it out, and it worked. So now we’re making three more.”

From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien

Some breakthroughs in physics come from brand new inventions.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026

Dramatic backstories about "secret inventions" or "industry breakthroughs"

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

Over the past 250 years, America has produced the world’s most valuable inventions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026

Of all his familiar discoveries and inventions, his “Autobiography” may well be the most original, and what he made of it paralleled the invention of America itself.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026

These familiar examples deceive us into assuming that other major inventions were also responses to perceived needs.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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